Utopias for Our Times

THURSDAY 29 SEPTEMBER (Leuven)

Thematic session 1: The future of cities

Utopian proposals by:

• Hilde Heynen, architect, KU Leuven: 'Lutopia, an ecomodernist vision for Leuven'

• Philippe Samyn, architect of a.o. the new headquarters of the European Council (Brussels) and the Aula Magna (Louvain-la-Neuve): 'The vertical city'

Keynote by Paola Viganò, architect and urbanist, Ecole polytechnique de Lausanne & Università IUAV Venice

Thematic session 2: The future of the human body

Utopian proposals by:

• Rudy Lauwereins, engineer, imec / KU Leuven: 'Towards a world without illness'

• Joris Vermeesch, geneticist, KU Leuven: 'The brave new genetic world'

• Mylène Botbol-Baum, philosopher, UCLouvain: 'Should there be limits to enhancing our bodies through gene editing? Answering to John Harris’ utopian bio-politics'

Keynote by John Harris, philosopher, University of Manchester

Thematic session 3: The future of democracy

Utopian proposals by:

• Pierre-Etienne Vandamme and Antoine Verret-Hamelin, UCLouvain: 'A randomly selected chamber'

• Dimitri Lemaire and Jonathan Piron, Particitiz: 'YourAgora'

• Katrín Oddsdóttir, lawyer and member of Iceland's 2011 Constitutional Council: 'For the people, by the people'

Keynote by Erik O. Wright, sociologist, University of Wisconsin, Madison

Special session on 'Should serious academics indulge in utopian thinking?'

Debate with Paola Viganò, John Harris, Erik O. Wright, Blanche Ségrestin, Ravi Kanbur, Bea Cantillon (UA), Mark Waer (KU Leuven) and Philippe Van Parijs (UCLouvain)